


Unclaimed

by sonofnjobu



Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: Graphic Violence, Mass Death, Self Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 22:12:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14778233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonofnjobu/pseuds/sonofnjobu
Summary: The reason why Erik “Killmonger” Stevens has upwards of 3,000 scars.





	Unclaimed

**Author's Note:**

> Fun Fact: People of African descent are far more likely to form keloid scars than those of other races. While the genetics behind keloid disorder remains poorly understood, many people have used this to their advantage to create intricate and elaborate patterns in their skin.
> 
> A/N: Suspend your disbelief. I don’t know how military people talk. I’m a musician. 
> 
> If you enjoy my writing, please comment!
> 
> CW: Violence, Mass Death, Self Harm
> 
> One shot

Erik sat silently, eyes straight ahead. The room lit up with explosions, illuminating his face. Gun fire pierced the air, yet Erik remained sitting, steadfast and focused. Between the shouting of orders and screaming of victims, Erik barely heard his fellow soldier when he leaned in to him and whispered in his ear.

“You good, Stevens? Fucking brutal.”

Erik merely nodded, eyes fixed on the playback of their most recent mission. He held his breath as he watched himself, merely hours before, round a corner and open fire on a room full of his identified targets. The screaming didn’t last long before the lights flipped on in the conference room and the screens went dark.

Erik and ten of the United States’ finest special operatives sat around an oval mahogany table, awaiting debrief from their last assignment. It was all pretty standard. Erik found himself replaying the events in his head during the meeting, only coming to when the General addressed him specifically.

“Stevens brought down 17 targets today, bringing his confirmed kill number to 562. Bravo, son!” the staunch man congratulated him. Erik nodded curtly in acknowledgement as the other men clapped him on the back and cheered.

“Atta boy, Killmonger!”

“Not a rookie anymore!”

The General quickly moved on, outlining the drone strike that happened simultaneously alongside their raid. They had successfully neutralized their targets, but the strike had occurred in a highly populated civilian area. Unsuspecting innocent people lost their lives that day.

“We estimate the collateral damage to be around 150 or so. There’s really no way to count these things,” the General continued, gesturing loosely towards the map on the wall. “But that’s war, gentlemen.”

Erik resisted the urge to wince. He had killed in hand to hand combat. He had tortured and maimed. He’d assassinated and destabilized, but the one thing that never truly sat well with him were the civilian deaths. Uninvolved people needlessly killed and then not even counted. No one ever took responsibility for those lives. No one ever claimed them.

–

Hours later, Erik found himself staring in to his bathroom mirror. His reflection was gradually blurring from the steam of a shower he hadn’t yet gotten in to. He forced his breathing to slow, feeling the thick, wet heat fill his lungs. Shaking, he looked down.

The tile floor shone bright with blood. It dripped down his body from 17 freshly carved cuts in his abdomen, matching the hundreds adorning his chest. His skin had already begun to raise from the assault, a trait he had discovered after a childhood bicycle accident.

Erik pressed a towel to the wounds with his left hand.

“17 kills today,” he huffed, speaking to no one in particular. He palmed the pocket knife in his right.

Erik took a deep breath and dropped the towel in to the sink. He raised the blade once more and pressed it firmly in to his skin. He hissed as he cut in to his own flesh, alternating his breathing between his nose and his mouth.

“150 unclaimed innocents.”


End file.
